My experiences with Shepherd’s Purse are four fold, so far.  It is such a wonderful herb, and I’ve learned so much more about it while doing this research, that I will use it more now, as I know of more uses.  My first experience with Shepherd’s Purse was when it saved my life right before Mother’s Day, in 1996.  I was pregnant with triplets (information given me by Heavenly Father), and miscarried them at about 6-7 weeks gestation.  Seconds after passing the placenta(s?), the hemorrhage began.  It was as fast as a faucet at a slow trickle.  I had only cayenne, but knew there was Shepherd’s Purse growing in a couple of spots on the non-working farm we rented.

 

I immediately went to bed, propped up the lower half of me, called to my daughter, Myrna (age 8), to bring the Cayenne powder, a spoon and some water.  While I was enjoying the Cayenne, I asked her to call my sister-in-law, the midwife, and then sent Myrna with a “Nature’s Medicine Chest” card, to look for the Shepherd’s Purse in the specified spot.  She came back with Tansy!  Wrong herb!  By then, the water Myrna put on to boil was boiling, and my sister-in-law arrived.  Even though she was experienced, she couldn’t find it either.  Shepherd’s Purse doesn’t always grow twice in the same spot.  I sent her to the pasture, and there, finally, was Shepherd’s Purse!  Connie put some in the boiling water, and took it off to steep.  Meanwhile, I had more Cayenne, and a lovely Shepherd’s Purse snack.  I can’t remember if Mistletoe was brought too, but between the Cayenne to initially stop the bleeding, and the Shepherd’s Purse to contract the vessels and uterus, the hemorrhaging stopped.

 

I have since learned that part of the cause of uterine hemorrhage is not having emotionally dealt properly with a bad relationship with one’s mother.  I have, hopefully, dealt with it so that if I am unfortunate enough to lose another baby, this will not repeat itself.  I have also learned loads more regarding proper diet prior to, during, and after pregnancy.  I can only ‘guesstimate’ at how much Cayenne I took (When one is in an emergency situation, one doesn’t measure!), probably several teaspoons full over an hour’s time, in about 10-15 minute spacing, and at least two cups of Shepherd’s Purse tea, in that same time.  Not sure how much of the fresh Shepherd’s Purse I ate, probably a cup or two, and boy, did I enjoy that!  Now, as a student midwife, I have tinctures of Cayenne, Shepherd’s Purse, and Mistletoe on hand.

 

My second experience was with a woman whose birth I attended.  She hemorrhaged after the birth, and was given the Anti-Bleed (Connie’s favorite) formula.  The initial dose did not entirely stop it, so we gave her a dropperful each of Cayenne, Shepherd’s Purse and Mistletoe.  It was not any more than ten minutes till the bleeding was stopped.  Incidentally, I later found out she also had a bad relationship with her mother that she had not dealt with properly!

 

My third experience was with bleeding hemorrhoids.  My husband gets problems with them when he eats improperly, as sometimes happens, with all the temptations we all face.  We found that Cayenne didn’t seem to keep it stopped as well as the Shepherd’s Purse.  It would start bleeding again, soon after, till upon the advice of an herbalist, we tried Shepherd’s Purse.  My husband reports that sometimes, if it is very bad, more than one dropperful dose may be needed.  My husband does not want alcohol, so we use raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar as the menstruum.

 

The last experience has been with heavy menstruation.  Upon reading of the way Shepherd’s Purse can help with that, I have found it almost immediately slows it down to almost nothing, using a teaspoon full twice about three or four hours apart.  This is a stop gap measure until I can get my diet to the ideal and permanently deal with the problem, rather than just using a ‘band-aid’.  I do agree with others, the odor of the Shepherd’s Purse tincture leaves a lot to be desired, but it doesn’t taste half bad!